Emirates SkyCargo has seen strong cool chain growth since the beginning of April and mid-August 2019, moving over 150,000 tonnes of perishables and 27,000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals through Dubai.
Since 2017, Emirates SkyCargo said it has seen an increase of seven per cent in the volume of pharma cargo transported during the summer months and a rise of 14 per cent in the overall volume of pharma transported throughout the year.
This summer season alone, over 190,000 kilos of pharma travelled every day through Dubai on Emirates SkyCargo. These included lifesaving vaccines, medication for cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
As for perishables, the Dubai headquartered carrier said every day, around 1,100 tonnes of food and other perishable products originating from different parts of the world move through terminals in Dubai.
This summer, there was an increase of close to 6,000 tonnes in the total quantity of perishables passing through Dubai compared to 2017. Close to 35 per cent of perishables arriving at Dubai are destined for the UAE with the rest travelling on to reach global consumers.
Examples include specialty food produce from Italy including Parmigiano Reggiano and Bufalo Mozzarella cheese from Rome and Naples, Vignola cherries and kiwi fruit from Bologna and Modena, strawberries, fish and clam from the Venice area.
In 2018, Emirates SkyCargo flew close to 3,000 tonnes of perishables just from Italy to the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and other destinations in East Asia.
Emirates SkyCargo also helps local economies through the facilitation of exports of sea food. Since the start of its service to Santiago, Chile, Emirates SkyCargo carried over 4,000 tonnes of Chilean salmon equating about 20 per cent of the total volume of salmon exports to Asian destinations.
One of the points of origin for perishables for Emirates SkyCargo is India. Every month, around 4,000 tonnes of fruits, vegetables and other perishables are moved from India on the carrier’s aircraft. Since May 2019, the airline said it has moved 18,000 tonnes of perishables from India alone.
The airline has terminals with specialist cool chain infrastructure for belly cargo at Dubai International Airport and freighter cargo at Dubai World Central International Airport.
Over the last few years, Emirates SkyCargo has introduced two specialist products: Emirates Pharma and Emirates Fresh, which is said have been met with “considerable success” with customers.
